High level committee on NRI affairs to be constituted:CM

HT Correspondent,
Chandigarh

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Updated: Jan 04, 2013 18:53 IST

With the aim of welfare of NRIs, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday announced the formation of a high-level committee on NRI affairs comprising five senior cabinet ministers and equal number of Punjabi NRIs settled across the globe as representatives.

Addressing the Punjabi diaspora here after inaugurating two day "Pravasi Punjabi Sammellan-2013", the chief minister assured that the recommendations of the committee would be implemented in a time bound manner.

He reiterated that the SAD-BJP government was committed to ensure the security of hard earned property of the NRIs so that they could live and work peacefully in the countries of their adoption.

Badal said that the state government has come out with landmark legislation by enacting Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act to check the menace of fraudulent and fake marriages and Human Trafficking/ Smuggling Act to prevent the practice of illegal immigration.

Apart from this, the state government has also amended the Punjab Urban Rent Control Act to safeguard the property and ownership rights of the NRIs.

Badal also announced that in future the NRIs would get their multiple properties evicted for multiple times as now the existing provisions of law under the act was only restricted to a single property for once.

Announcing a slew of other NRI friendly measures, Badal said that the authority of attestation of the Power of Attorney in case of property situated in a particular district would now be vested in the concerned deputy commissioner.

Likewise in case of different properties located in different districts within the division would be now attested by the divisional commissioner.

Similarly financial commissioner(revenue) had been authorised for granting Power of Attorney for inter-division cases.

The chief minister also announced to set up three more NRI Police stations for quick disposal of complaints related to NRI matters, with this the total number of NRI Police stations across the state had gone upto 11.

Badal also announced to set up a fast track court for NRI affairs in the state to ensure quick dispensation of justice to the NRIs, for which he has already given formal clearance. He said that the state government had already established a NRI Commission headed by a retired Judge of Punjab and Haryana high court.

Assuring the NRIs that his government was fully sensitised on the issue of proclaimed offenders, Badal said that he had already asked the deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who holds the Home Portfolio also, to get these cases settled at the earliest.

Exhorting the NRIs to play a proactive role in the overall development and growth of the state, the chief minister said that Punjab was being looked as the most preferred investment destination due to congenial and investor friendly atmosphere besides being the most peaceful state in the country with absolute communal harmony, perfect brotherhood and amity.

He wooed the prospective NRI investors and entrepreneurs to make huge investments in the state especially in industry and agro processing sector.

Badal assured them of all possible support and co-operation to set up their ventures and business establishments here. The chief minister also envisaged their views on how the state government could immensely help the NRIs to utilise their potential optimally.

On the occasion Badal also released multipurpose Non Resident Punjabi Privilege Card which enables the NRIs to seek admissions for their wards in schools besides getting concessions on shopping in malls, for boarding and lodging in Hotels and Restaurants and for availing medical care facilities in selected renowned hospitals.

Earlier, at the very outset of his address, the chief minister urged the NRIs converged on the occasion to observe two minutes silence as a mark of respect in the memory of Ghadar heroes as a part of centenary celebrations of this watershed movement in the history of Indian National Freedom struggle.